Paul Edinger, the kicker with the telltale corkscrew kicking motion, the kicker the Bears didn't want and the kicker they now hope will not undo them comes back to Soldier Field on Sunday as a Viking.

While the Bears have cut Doug Brien and turned to Robbie Gould, Edinger--the Bears' sixth-round pick in 2000-- methodically has made 7 of 8 field-goal attempts, his one miss bouncing off the right upright.

Walking out onto Soldier Field will be "no big deal really, to tell the truth," Edinger said. "I've played in so many stadiums now, I'm just trying to treat it as just another road game."

The Bears released Edinger on May 22 after he had kicked alongside Brien during a mini-camp competition that was over before it began because of the $100,000 of guaranteed money the Bears gave Brien.

Despite a disappointing 2004 in which he missed nine field goals, Edinger left Chicago as the second-most-accurate kicker in franchise history. The Bears, however, were less interested in field-goal accuracy than leg strength, the determining factor in choosing Gould over four other kickers in a tryout last week.

Edinger does not dwell on slights of the past, but the kickoff issue still rankles him.

"A lot of people didn't believe I was trying to kick it hard enough or something," Edinger said. "They didn't think I was kicking it as far as other guys and a lot of them were kicking in the South or in domes.

"Now my leg is stronger, probably because of the competition in camp [with Aaron Elling], and that has helped my confidence on kickoffs."

After Edinger's release, agent Ken Harris promptly negotiated a one-year deal with the Vikings that includes a number of reachable incentives and allows Edinger to re-establish himself for free agency next season.

When the Bears released Brien on Wednesday, Edinger didn't feel any particular sense of vindication.

"I'm here and I'm happy," said Edinger, who is scheduled to have dinner Saturday with Mannelly and Maynard.